Paris, France (SPX) Jan 23, 2025
The Italian Space Agency (ASI) has awarded a key contract to Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), to contribute to NASA's Surface Biology and Geology - Thermal Infrared (SBG-TIR) Earth Observation mission. This agreement follows a 2023 collaboration pact between ASI and NASA for the SBG-TIR mission. The partnership underscores a long-standing commit

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 22, 2025
The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite is poised to launch in the coming months, bringing an innovative capability to track Earth's surface changes with remarkable precision. Using synthetic aperture radar (SAR), the satellite will deliver high-resolution data, monitoring everything from tectonic shifts to ecosystem changes. NISAR will survey nearly all of Earth's solid l

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jan 21, 2025
The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) has revealed the official logos for three prominent missions scheduled for 2025: the crewed spaceflights Shenzhou XX and Shenzhou XXI, and the cargo spacecraft Tianzhou 9. The announcement was made on Monday as part of efforts to highlight China's expanding presence in space exploration. Each of these newly unveiled logos is designed to represent the br

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jan 23, 2025
In fall 2024, NASA developed and tested a 3D-printed antenna to demonstrate a low-cost capability to communicate science data to Earth. The antenna, tested in flight using an atmospheric weather balloon, could open the door for using 3D printing as a cost-effective development solution for the ever-increasing number of science and exploration missions. h3>Printing /h3> For this technolog

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 22, 2025
Almagest Space Corporation, a US-based leader in developing secure data relay systems for government and commercial use, has announced the successful launch and deployment of ELEVATION-1. This demonstration satellite carries the first-ever E-band communications payload, a critical step toward creating Almagest's high-performance data solutions. Launched with the support of D-Orbit S.p.A. o

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jan 23, 2025
Singapore has officially joined the Global Network of Optical Magnetometers to search for Exotic physics (GNOME), an international collaboration focused on identifying signals of dark matter and other exotic astrophysical fields. Dark matter, which alongside dark energy is theorized to make up 95% of the universe, presents one of the greatest challenges to modern physics due to its elusive natur

Montreal, Canada (SPX) Jan 23, 2025
NASA's Artemis program goal of establishing a human presence on the Earth's moon is closer than ever to becoming a reality within the next few decades. But today's starry-eyed dreamers are reckoning with the gritty reality of building a permanent base on an airless, dusty, radiation-blasted rock thousands of miles from home. How hard can it be? The answer, obviously, is very. But with a lo

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jan 23, 2025
From Jan. 11 to 15, 2025, a bright comet surged through images from the ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft. Called C/2024 G3 (ATLAS), the comet made its closest pass to the Sun, or perihelion, on Jan. 13, soaring a mere 8 million miles (or 9% of the average Earth-Sun distance) from our star. These views of comet ATLAS were captured by

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 23, 2025
NASA's Artemis program is spearheading efforts to return humans to the Moon, establish a sustainable lunar presence, and pave the way for crewed missions to Mars. As part of this initiative, engineers are tackling the challenge of lunar dust, a substance known for its sharp, abrasive particles that adhere to spacesuits and disrupt equipment functionality. Lunar dust emerged as a significan

Fairbanks AK (SPX) Jan 23, 2025
Three NASA sounding rockets are set to launch from Poker Flat Research Range as early as Tuesday to learn more about three types of aurora - black, flickering and fast-pulsating. The launch window is Jan. 21 through Feb. 5. The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute owns Poker Flat, located at Mile 30 Steese Highway, and operates it under a contract with NASA's Wallops